Charles Manson and Helter Skelter

Charles Manson's interpretations of The Beatles' songs

Everybody was getting on the big Beatle bandwagon. The police and the promoters and the Lord Mayors - and murderers too. The Beatles were topical and they were the main thing that was written about in the world, so everybody attached themselves to us, whether it was our fault or not. It was upsetting to be associated with something so sleazy as Charles Manson.

Another thing I found offensive was that Manson suddenly portrayed the long hair, beard and moustache kind of image, as well as that of a murderer. Up until then, the long hair and the beard were more to do with not having your hair cut and not having a shave - a case of just being a scruff or something.

Lines such as "Do you don't you want me to make you/I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you" and "Look out helter skelter" were, in Manson's eyes, a warning of the uprising. Helter Skelter was written on the refrigerator in the LaBianca family home.

John Lennon's claim that "When you talk about destruction/Don't you know that you can count me out, in" was taken to be an endorsement of revolution. "We'd all love to see the plan" was confirmation that Manson should reveal his plans to the Family.

Manson considered this sound collage as The Beatles' most significant message. It contains a number of audio clips including shouts, explosions, pigs, the repeated phrase "Number nine", and the word "Rise" (or, alternatively, "Right"). It ends with the sound of machine gun fire and screams, and was followed by Good Night. Manson believed the track was a parallel of the Bible's Revelation 9. The word "Rise" was daubed in blood on the walls of the LaBianca home.

Manson believed that Piggies was a reference to the establishment. "Clutching forks and knives" would have devastating consequences for the Family's victims - Leno LaBianca was left with a knife in his throat and a fork in his stomach. "Death to Pigs" was written in LaBianca's blood on a wall in his home, and "Damn good whacking" was a phrase particularly liked by Manson.

All that Manson stuff was built around George's song about pigs and this one [Helter Skelter], Paul's song about an English fairground. It has nothing to do with anything, and least of all to do with me

John Lennon, 1980
All We Are Saying, David Sheff

A number of other songs also had significance for Manson and the Family. Most were from the White Album, and all were from The Beatles' later period.

"And when at last I find you, your song will fill the air. Sing it loud so I can hear you, make it easy to be near you." These words were interpreted as a search for Jesus Christ, which Manson saw himself as personifying. In response he began writing songs in earnest, hoping to initiate revolution as a result.

"Sail across the Atlantic to where you belong" was thought to signify that The Beatles were to join the Family in Death Valley. "The magic of your Hollywood song" was seen as a direct reference to Manson's music.

Manson believed that The Beatles belonged with him in California. Blue Jay Way, written about Derek Taylor becoming lost in fog, was seen as an admission by the group that they had "lost their way". The song ends with the mantra: "Please don't be long, please don't you be very long".

Prior to the release of the White Album, Manson had renamed Susan Atkins, a member of the Family, Sadie Mae Glutz. When he heard the song it reinforced the belief that the group was sending him coded messages.

The only one of Manson's chosen songs to directly mention the Bible, Manson believed that Rocky Raccoon referred to 'coon', a derogatory term for a black person. "Rocky's revival" was thought to be an anticipation of an uprising by black people.

Latest Comments

PatMonday 21 February 2011

Let’s face it Charles Manson was evil and wanted revenge and picked the tate house. But I have to say this that I do believe a few of those songs on the White Album were written because of Charles Manson! Why do I believ that? Well Manson knew the Beach Boys and stood out in the crowd because of his weirdness. The Beach Boys probably spoke about Manson and his weird philosiphies and it got back to the Beatles. Also what is too strange is that they called the album the White album and meanwhile Manson hated blacks and wanted a race war. White album stood for the White race. Also Sexie Sadie is too directed to what Susan Atkins was doing. The Beach Boys proably played with her then later bragged to Beatles and music people that they had sexy sadie Susan Atkins. Beatles thought this is weird enough to write about. I don’t believe the Beatles wanted Charles Manson to do killing. I think they juste thought Charles Manson was strange but harmless. Anyway when Charles Manson turned out to be a mass murderer, the Beatles got shaken and tried to bluff their way out of some of those songs. I mean they did not know this horrible murder was going to happen.

Your theory falls down, for a start, with your incorrect assumption that the Beatles called their album, “The Beatles”, the White Album. Your deluded belief is unsupported by any evidence other than your assertion that “The Beach Boys probably spoke about Manson and his weird philosiphies [sic] and it got back to the Beatles”, and further anachronistic, alleged probabilities piled on silly suppositions. “Sexy Sadie” was inspired by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
“Album”, by the way, is Latin for “white thing”.

Pat, I know this is a very late reply but as others have already said, Sexy Sadie was about the Maharishi. John wrote it & said as much. Sexy Sadie, what have you done? You made a fool of everyone……John got disillusioned with the Maharishi, as did Paul and Ringo. George got sour on him too but George always believed in the philosophy.

And another thing. The Beatles didn’t call the White Album, the white album at first. Everyone else called it that and it stuck.

The only song on the white album that I would like to hear how it came about is “Piggies.” Fit right in with what Manson thought, but the Beatles didn’t have a clue to who Manson was. Some dirty weird hippie guy in California. Young people were very anti-establishment at that time, so “Piggies” was probably just a dig at the establishment. Manson used it all to his advantage. The White Album came out in late 1968. The Manson murders happened in August, 1969.

The album is actually called The Beatles but nicknamed the White Album because of the album cover. I doubt they had ever heard of Manson. They certainly would not have written any songs for or about him. They in fact were the opposite of him.

Manson was one disturbed creature. Could you blame him for ending up like that though? Had a pretty rough life. Not defending him, or making excuses for him – because a lot of people have tough childhoods and don’t become murdering monsters. Just saying if your mom sold you to a pedophile for a glass of beer, how would you turn out?

To the above comments that the theory that charles manson sick theories were spoken and the Beach Boys heard it is not impossible. First of all the Beach Boys were working with Manson. Charles was strange. The Beach boys spoke alot with the Beatles and Charles Manson stood out. Why couldn’t a few of those songs in the White Album be about Charles? He was an odd character and stood out. Songwriters write about other people. So it makes sense. I don’t believe they directed Charles to kill no but it seems too much of a coincidence when I listen to the album.

Charles Manson received a visit from one George E. Shibley in March 1967 at his parole. Shibley was a very prominent Beverly Hills lawyer, with rich clientele, and some oil companies as clients. At this time, Manson was in for 10 years on forgery and parole offences. He wanted to stay in jail. One has to ask, why is a petty crook, mainly in for Dyer Act convictions, one count of prostitution, getting visits from a Beverly Hills lawyer.

2 years later that same lawyer is representing Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin who did not assassinate RFK. When the Manson Murder trials began, Shibley was on board as “an old friend of Charlie”.

It’s also funny how Sexy Sadie Susan Atkins was offered $150,000 to turn state’s evidence and say it was all done for Charlie.

Never mind Terry Melcher, Derek Taylor and all that. Or Melcher and McCartney being on the board of directors of Monterey Pop. Or the Esalen Institute, where Manson and Family played 3 days before the murders, which should be called the Watson Murders.

There’s a lot to that man and how he got to where he got, that you probably DON’T want to know, and how The Beatles played a part in it, knowingly or unknowingly, is anyone’s guess. C I A, you know, those guys who experimented with LSD before anyone ever heard of it in Haight Ashbury. You might want to ask them. Or how Polanski miraculously avoided prison when sodomising and drugging an underage girl.

The following passages are from the “Helter Skelter” chapter headed “February 1970.” In the book’s “25th Anniversary Edition,” published by Norton in 1994, they’re on pages 245 and 247:

“[Family member Paul] Watkins [to prosecutor Vincent Bulgiosi]: ‘[Charlie] used to explain how [Helter Skelter] would be so simple to start out. A couple of black people—some of the spades from Watts—would come up into the Bel Air and Beverly Hills district … into the rich piggy district … and just really wipe some people out, just cutting bodies up and smearing blood and writing things on the wall in blood … all kinds of super-atrocious crimes that would really make the white man mad …

…

“One day at the Gresham Street house, while they were on an acid trip, Manson had reiterated to Watkins and the others that blackie had no smarts, ‘that the only thing blackie knows is what whitey has told him or shown him’ and ‘so someone is going to have to show him how to do it.’

“I [Vincent Bugliosi] asked Watkins: ‘How to do what?’

“ANSWER: ‘How to bring down Helter Skelter. How to do all these things.’

“Watkins: ‘Charlie said the only reason [Helter Skelter] hadn’t come down already was because whitey was feeding his young daughters to the black man in Haight-Ashbury, and he said that if his music came out, and all of the beautiful people—‘love’ he called it—left Haight-Ashbury, blackie would turn to Bel Air to get his rocks off.

“Blackie had been temporarily ‘pacified’ by the young white girls, Manson claimed. But when he took away the pacifier—when his album came out and all the young loves followed Pied Piper Charlie to the desert—blackie would need another means of getting his frustrations out and he would then turn to the establishment.”

Frankly, this article about Manson should be removed. It’s rather garish seeing his face (and story) on page 1 of a nice Beatles site, and in no way deserving of debate all these years later. The Beatles were so popular and influential that millions were deeply affected by it, enough to play albums backwards to reveal ‘hidden messages’, even play the record covers, analyze lyrics, emulate their hair, clothes, and Lennon’s glasses, as well as popularizing Indian classical music (sitar), including a little known religion (Hinduism), the idyllic self-search called meditation, even helped advance electronic technology considering their endless studio work. Manson was just one of these millions. His story is fascinating, but does not belong on a Beatles website.

My sentiments exactly. I posted a similar comment, though more agressive in attacking the lack of critical thinking here. THERE IS NO CONNECTION between any song by the Beatles and these murders.
Yes, the best approach is either to remove this or add that the Beatles songs can’t be associated with the delusions of a murderer. Failing that, yes, remove it.

You’re right in a way, but totally wrong in another way – “Helter Skelter” is indeed a kid’s carnival ride but the Beatles reinvented the phrase. They turned the phrase into a monumentally powerful heavy metal record that can blow susceptible minds apart. It’s THAT that influenced the wacko Manson.

What is the source of the “November 25” date for the Beatles door?
There is testimony from one of the trials, claiming that specific people connected to Manson had an “advance copy of Abbey Road.” However this is not verifiable.

The following passage is from the “Helter Skelter” chapter headed “May 1970.” In the book’s “25th Anniversary Edition,” published by Norton in 1994, it’s on page 294:

“On May 25 [1970], I was going through LAPD’s tubs on the LaBianca case when I noticed, standing against the wall, a wooden door. On it was a multicolored mural; the lines from a nursery rhyme, ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7—All Good Children Go to Heaven’; and, in large letters, the words ‘HELTER SKELTER IS COMING DOWN FAST.’

“Stunned, I asked [LAPD Sgt. Manuel] Gutierrez, ‘Where in the hell did you get that?’

“‘Spahn Ranch.’

“‘When?’

“He checked the yellow property envelope affixed to the door.

“‘November 25, 1969.’

“‘You mean for five months, while I’ve been desperately trying to link the killers with Helter Skelter, you’ve had this door, with those very words on it, the same bloody words that were found at the LaBianca residence?’

“Gutierrez admitted they had. The door, it turned out, had been found on a cabinet in Juan Flynn’s trailer. It had been considered so unimportant that to date no one had even bothered to book it into evidence.

The statement that the Manson Family was able to listen to “an advance copy” of “Abbey Road” is from the Ed Sanders book “The Family.” In the edition published by Thunder’s Mouth Press in 2002, it’s on page 288 and reads as follows:

“Around October 1, Vance, Vern, Zero and Diane came to the Goler Wash camp, bringing with them an advance copy of the new Beatles album, ‘Abbey Road,’ which was played on a battery-operated machine.”

I don’t know what significance the commenter above places on any supposed “unverifiability” of that statement. As a little bit of Googling will show, “Abbey Road” had already been released in England by that October 1 and was released in the U.S. on that date. The album’s hit single, “Something,” was released in the U.S. in October’s first week. Members of the Manson Family, in other words, even if they hadn’t had access to “an advance copy,” had had plenty of time to hear that very-successful album before late November 1969, when that door was confiscated at Spahn Ranch.

PS In “Helter Skelter,” prosecutor Bugliosi does not indicate whether he ever attempted to find out who put the writings on that door, and he does not seem to have attached any significance to the “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7—All Good Children Go to Heaven.” (In the book’s chapter headed “October 6-31, 1970,” he reports that the door was part of the prosecution case, at trial, but he refers to it only as “the ‘Helter Skelter’ door.”) One has to wonder how the presence of that rhyme on “Abbey Road” struck Manson and the Family members who knew of the Family’s involvement in the Tate-LaBianca murders, whose victims had totaled seven.

Well researched! I was also troubled by that 1234567 reference and until fairly recently had left it unresearched. But the current brand of PID (Paul Is Dead) freakery which is basically an adaptation of ‘The Illuminatus Trilogy’ with Paul McCartney as Yog Soggoth was playing this up so I reproduced the research you’ve just quoted and in addition found that many radio stations airing sides of the album in its entirety at the time. So no problem getting that earworm and translating it into…erm…a door scrawled on in blood.

Thanks, I’m glad you appreciate the research. Having been a teenager when Abbey Road was released, I can tell you that, yes, a local “underground” radio station played the album in its entirety just before or just after it was released here, in the Philadelphia area. This might have been after “Something” was already being played on at least one of the Top 40 stations. (There was some sort of pre-release release of “Something” on a station here, I think–some such unusual thing.) When I look back on those days, I’m struck by the awe, the reverence, with which a new Beatle album was regarded. Obviously, the reaction of Manson and his followers was idiosyncratic, to put it mildly; but in a way, it wasn’t unusual.

Charles Manson was a frustrated musician with some talent. He had enough talent that both Dennis Wilson and Neil Young advocated that he be signed to a record contract. This is important. If he would have been a completely talentless hack, he would have never had hope. He had hope and it was dashed over and over again. He blamed, among others, Terry Melcher (the Beach Boys producer and son of Doris Day) for his inability to seal the deal. Terry Melcher was the previous occupant to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate at the Cielo Drive residence. Manson actually visited the place himself and talked to Tate, who told Manson that Melcher didn’t live there anymore. Still, Manson came away from the encounter that the house was an embodiment of the “establishment” and thought of it when he put out his order. He also hoped it would send Terry Melcher a message. The motivation of the “Helter Skelter” as Manson saw it may, or may not, have worked on his disciples, but I don’t believe for a second that Manson himself ever believed any of it – he just used it to manipulate some troubled runaways that would do anything for him.

..and let’s not forget Lennon’s frankly strange admission in the RS interview 1974, where he confessed to taking acid in 1966 at “Doris days house or wherever it was we used to stay”
.. The Beatles and Manson were both part of related intelligence operations, seriously odd that he would divulge this information
..cognitive dissonance ?

I don’t like the pseudo-objective style of this article at all. If it’s about a murderer and about crime it has nothing to do with the Beatles. You are wrong to indulge in the murderer’s fantasies. You are delusional yourself in that case. Is the song good? You don’t even care! No critical analysis is offered. You are just involved in libel and slander. Do you even care? Once again, THERE IS NO CONNECTION between any song by the Beatles and these murders. You are pathetic and the comments here are even worse. Do we blame Beethoven for Napoléon? Is Mozart to be judged because someone died during “Figaro” because it took too long? Frankly I’m pleased you can read and write… but you clearly have no powers of critical thinking.

Part of critical thinking is the ability to understand the point a piece of writing is making. For instance, being able to tell the difference between describing a person’s beliefs and promoting those beliefs.

I think it’s pretty clear from a critical reading that the point of the article is NOT to hold the Beatles or any of their songs responsible for the actions of a murderer.

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